


Meet the Parent

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-08-31 21:38:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8594689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Louisa meets Lisa's dad.





	1. Chapter 1

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Louisa had been asking that question all day, but Lisa had the same answer for her every time.

“Babe, he knows how much I love you and how happy you make me. He’ll like you, trust me,” said Lisa, pulling her girlfriend a little closer as they rode the tram through Jorvik City.

“But-“ Louisa protested. Lisa silenced her with a finger on her lips.

“No buts,” said Lisa, kissing her cheek. “I’ve met your dad, now you’ve gotta meet mine.”

“That’s fair, I guess,” said Louisa. But she was still nervous, despite Lisa’s reassuring arm around her and her calming words.

When the tram pulled up at Lisa’s stop, Louisa took a deep breath and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans.

“Come on,” Lisa coaxed her, smiling gently. Louisa followed, gripping tightly to Lisa’s hand. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stood outside the front door, waiting for Lisa to fumble with her keys until she found the right one.

“Wow, I can tell that it’s a bachelor’s pad,” said Louisa. “Not that it’s a bad thing, it’s just like dad’s.”

“Only without the fishy smell,” said Lisa. Louisa gasped.

“I don’t smell like fish, do I?” asked Louisa.

“Nah, you smell good,” said Lisa, and nuzzled her neck. Louisa blushed, and then jumped away from Lisa when someone cleared their throat.

“Hello there,” said the man. He was tall, with black hair that was silvering at the temples. His moustache was speckled with silver too, but his eyes looked so kind.

“Hi,” said Louisa, blushing. “Probably not the way you wanted to meet your daughter’s girlfriend.”

“Well, it’s not the worst way,” said Lisa’s dad, and embraced his daughter. “I’ve met girlfriends in worse ways, haven’t I, princess?”

“Dad,” Lisa groaned with a roll of her eyes.

“I’m only teasing,” said her father, and let her go with a laugh. “Well, come on in. I just started dinner.”

“I hope I’m not too nervous to eat,” said Louisa, playing with the ends of her hair.

“With dad’s cooking, you’ll forget your nerves in a second,” said Lisa. She took Louisa’s hand and led her into the kitchen, where her father was fidgeting with some containers.

“Would you like tea or something?” asked her father. 

“Um, yeah, that would be good,” said Louisa. 

“It might help to get the awkward talk out of the way before dinner,” said Lisa’s dad, and chuckled. Louisa giggled, still playing with her hair. Lisa sat down at the table and Louisa took the seat next to her.

“That’s a pretty good idea,” said Louisa. “Lisa was so nervous when she met my dad that she could barely eat.”

“Well, let’s start with names,” said Lisa’s dad. “You can call me Mr Petersen. You’ll probably be using that last name someday as well.”

“Dad,” Lisa complained, blushing. Louisa found her cheeks heating up as well, and she laced her fingers through Lisa’s.

“Hey, I’m your dad, it’s my job to embarrass you,” said Mr Petersen, laughing. “At least I haven’t got out the baby photos yet.”

“Please don’t,” said Lisa.

“You’re right, we can do that after dinner,” said Mr Petersen. The jug came to the boil and he poured out three cups of tea for himself and his guests, then brought them over to the table. He grabbed a bottle of milk, and then he joined them.

“Thanks,” said Louisa. She put in her milk and sugar, then was silent while she stirred her drink. She still clung to Lisa’s hand.

“So, you’re the girl who makes my daughter smile more than she ever has before,” said Mr Petersen.

“I am?” asked Louisa, looking at Lisa.

“Yes,” said Mr Petersen. “One day she came home with the biggest smile on her face and told me that she had a girlfriend. She talks about you all the time.”

“Really?” asked Louisa, grinning. Lisa blushed and fidgeted in her seat.

“She sure does,” said Mr Petersen, grinning at his daughter. “And I’m glad that you’ve made her so happy. She deserves all the happiness she can get.”

“She makes me really happy, too,” said Louisa, smiling. “I love her so much.”

“And she loves you too,” said Mr Petersen. “You know, before she met you, she was always so hesitant to get close to someone. I don’t know if it was her career or this other secret thing she thinks I don’t know about, or losing her mother so young…”

“It was my career, dad,” said Lisa.

“And will you follow my daughter in her career, Louisa? Better yet, will you support her career?” asked Mr Petersen.

“Yes, of course,” said Louisa. “Wait, did that sound like I was agreeing too quickly? Of course I’ll go with her and support her, she’s so happy being famous and I just want her to be happy.”

“And are you prepared to face the hardships of dating a famous person?” asked Mr Petersen.

“Yes,” said Louisa. “I already have. Lisa and her agent are helping me deal with it.”

“Didn’t you see that, dad?” asked Lisa.

“I don’t read those articles about you,” said Mr Petersen. “I don’t want to read what those awful journalists have to say about you.”

“Well, would you look at that? You two already have something in common,” said Lisa. “Louisa doesn’t read those articles either, dad. Not after the first one about her, anyway.”

“Actually, we already had something in common even before this,” said Mr Petersen. “We both love you, princess, and want nothing else but for you to be happy.”

“Aww, dad,” Lisa cooed, and Louisa kissed her cheek.

“He’s right, Lisa,” said Louisa.

“Of course he is, he approves of you,” said Lisa. “Wait, you do approve, don’t you?”

“Yes,” said Mr Petersen. “Louisa, I hereby approve of you dating my daughter.”

“Yay!” Lisa squealed happily, and hugged her girlfriend tightly.

The tea was good, and the dinner was much better. For dessert, Lisa’s father had bought them a chocolate cake from Lisa’s favourite bakery (which Louisa made sure to note down the name of for future reference).

And then there was a few quiet moments in which Lisa’s father disappeared while the two girlfriends sat on the couch.

“So, that wasn’t too awkward, was it?” asked Lisa.

“No,” said Louisa, and smiled. “Your dad’s actually a pretty cool guy. And he clearly cares so much about you. He’s a good dad.”

“I know,” said Lisa. “He’s been all I’ve had for years.”

“I know,” said Louisa. “And he’s done such a good job. Even if he had to work for Dark Core.”

“He was freed when Mr Sands ‘died’, thankfully,” said Lisa. “Now he’s got a job here in the city. He doesn’t need one because my royalties are more than enough to live on, but he likes feeling useful.”

“That’s sweet of him,” said Louisa.

“My ears are burning,” said Mr Petersen as he came back into the lounge room.

“Oh no,” said Lisa, looking at the thick photo album.

“Oh yes,” said Mr Petersen, grinning. He sat down on the couch beside Louisa and opened the book, still grinning.

“Is this your mum?” asked Louisa, seeing the red-haired woman who was in several of the earlier photos. She was usually holding her daughter, and Louisa assumed that Lisa’s dad was the photographer.

“Yeah,” said Lisa.

“She was beautiful,” said Louisa. “Now I can see where you get your good looks from.”

“Oh, and not from me?” asked Mr Petersen. Louisa laughed but she knew when a joke was being told to cover up sadness. She could also feel Lisa trembling slightly against her. So she quickly moved past the early photos and onto later ones, where Lisa was photographed first with her friends and then with Starshine.

“You’re a good photographer, Mr Petersen,” said Louisa.

“Thank you,” said Mr Petersen. “But you might find some later photos that weren’t taken by me.”

When Louisa reached the end of the photo album, she saw what he meant. These photos had clearly been taken by a jPhone- specifically, Lisa’s jPhone. She recognised the photos from Lisa’s Pinstasnap. And she was in them.

“You’re a part of the family now,” said Mr Petersen.

“Wow,” said Louisa. “I’m honoured.”

“You should be,” said Lisa. “He’s never put any of my other girlfriends in the photo album before.”

“I have a good feeling about this one,” said Mr Petersen.

They retired to bed soon after, and Louisa snuggled into Lisa’s embrace. Lisa’s bed felt like it hadn’t been slept in for a while, but it still felt fresh and comfortable.

“I’m so glad your dad likes me,” said Louisa.

“I am too,” said Lisa. “And thanks for not dwelling on those pictures of my mum.”

“I know you don’t like talking about her,” said Louisa. 

“She would’ve loved you too,” said Lisa. “I know she would have.” Louisa turned in Lisa’s arms so she could kiss her.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” said Louisa.

“No, I want to,” said Lisa. Louisa could see tears glimmering in her eyes. She wanted to kiss them away, but she could see that Lisa needed to say this. So she let her speak. “Mum loved me, and she always just wanted me to be happy. She knew that I liked girls, and she was fine with it. She’d coo over me gushing about pretty girls I saw. She always said that someday, I’d find a pretty girl who would make all my dreams come true. And she never got to see that happen, but I know that she’d be so happy to see me now.”

Louisa wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and held her while Lisa cried, letting her let out the sadness.

“It’s just a constant reminder, every time something big happens, that mum isn’t here to see that,” said Lisa, her voice sounding choked. “She’ll never see me get married or have kids of my own or win any awards.”

“I’m sure she’s watching,” said Louisa. She knew that ghosts were real, so spirits must be real, too. “She’s seen you accomplish so much already, and I just know that she’s so proud of you.”

“Really?” said Lisa.

“Yes,” said Louisa. “Maybe she’ll come back someday to tell you just how much.”

“I like that idea,” said Lisa. “Thank you.” She kissed Louisa, and Louisa didn’t mind the saltiness of Lisa’s tears.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louisa meets Lisa's mother, in a way.

Louisa followed her girlfriend to the outskirts of the city, pulling her black winter coat tighter around her as snowflakes settled onto it. She envied Lisa’s (fake) fleece-lined faux leather jacket, but her own coat was okay.

“We’re here,” said Lisa, causing Louisa to sigh with relief. But then she looked up, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the sign. A cemetry.

“Wow,” said Louisa.

“Well, you’ve met my dad,” said Lisa. “Time for you to meet my mum.”

“Are you sure?” asked Louisa.

“Well, you’re hardly going to make a bad impression on her,” said Lisa. “No. Sorry. Black humour, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it,” said Louisa. “But normally you don’t like looking… weak in front of people.”

“I think you have me confused with Alex,” said Lisa with a laugh. “What, does this make you uncomfortable?”

“A little, yeah,” said Louisa. 

“Don’t be,” said Lisa, taking her girlfriend’s hands in hers. Louisa wished that she’d worn thicker gloves, but Lisa’s hands were surprisingly warm. “I’m ready for you to meet her.”

“Okay,” said Louisa. “If you’re sure.”

Lisa kept her fingers linked with Louisa’s as they walked among the gravestones. There were some beautiful statues here, and bright splashes of flowers or ribbons or other little decorations on the graves. Louisa felt a lump in her throat.

“Ah, I see,” said Lisa, seeing the glimmer of tears in her girlfriend’s eyes. “It’s okay, you know. To cry, I mean.”

“But why should I cry?” asked Louisa. “She’s not my mum.”

“She’s the mother-in-law you never got to meet,” said Lisa. “She would’ve loved you, though. Trust me.”

At last, they stopped at a grave. Louisa saw a few CDs and tapes there, as well as the usual flowers and ribbons. She wiped a tear from her eye, bumping her glasses.

“Hi, mum,” said Lisa. “This is Louisa, my girlfriend.” Lisa squeezed Louisa’s hand.

“Hi,” said Louisa, trying to talk through the lump in her throat. “Your daughter is the coolest, sweetest girl I’ve ever met. You did well with her.”

“This is what she used to look like,” said Lisa, picking up a framed photograph of a beautiful, red-haired woman. She had the same green eyes as her daughter, but she looked more elegant. Not that it was a bad thing that Lisa didn’t look elegant. She was still beautiful. 

“She was beautiful,” said Louisa. 

“Yeah, she was,” said Lisa. “I know every kid thinks their mum is the most beautiful woman in the world, but mine really was.”

Louisa turned her face into Lisa’s chest, and her girlfriend hugged her while she cried.

“It must’ve been awful,” said Louisa once the crying had passed. She sniffed and wiped her eyes. 

“Especially ‘cause I was old enough to remember her,” said Lisa. “So I can miss her.

“How old were you when she died?” asked Louisa.

“Just finishing primary school,” said Lisa. “And it was weird, being in the house without her. It hurt so much. Dad threw himself into his work, and I… I started to write songs. The first were the usual typical, angsty stuff.”

“You had a good reason to be angsty,” said Louisa. Lisa snorted.

“Still, you do not wanna hear some of my old stuff,” said Lisa. “It was awful. I didn’t know what to do. Dad was there, which was good, but neither of us was coping. It only got better when dad got a new job and we moved. It felt like I was leaving her behind, but…”

“But you had no choice,” said Louisa. 

“It wasn’t fair,” said Lisa. “That I had to leave her, that I lost her in the first place.”

“Did you tell your dad this?” asked Louisa.

“So many times,” said Lisa. “I kept telling him that I didn’t want to move. But we had to.”

“It was a good thing in the end, though, wasn’t it?” said Louisa. “You met your friends, you met Starshine…”

“I met you,” said Lisa, and kissed her.

“Did she know that one day you’d become this?” asked Louisa.

“Become what? A famous singer? The girlfriend of the Chosen One? A Chosen One?” asked Lisa. Louisa had to smile at that.

“All of the above,” said Louisa.

“She knew I liked singing and banging around on instruments,” said Lisa. “And she always thought I was special, like most parents.”

“Have you ever tried to bring her back?” asked Louisa. “With your Star powers?”

“No,” said Lisa. “That’s dark magic. And we learned pretty early on to not abuse our powers.”

“Smart of them,” said Louisa.

“Smart of him,” said Lisa. “We only had Fripp. And he was a really sucky teacher.”

“If you brought her back, though, what would happen?” asked Louisa.

“She’s not an ancient tree, she’s been dead for years,” said Lisa. “She’d be a zombie. And I want to remember my mum as the beautiful woman she was.”

“If Jon Jarl can have a ghost, she can too,” said Louisa. She reached into her backpack and took out the glimmering Light of Aideen.

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” said Lisa, covering the Light with her hands. “The shadows, remember?”

“Right,” said Louisa with a sad sigh. “I just wanna help you.”

“I know, and I love you for it,” said Lisa, giving her a kiss. “But it’s not worth it.”

“I want to get to know my future mother-in-law,” said Louisa.

“Then I’ll tell you about her,” said Lisa. “She was a wonderful mother. She loved horses, so she tried to teach me to ride. But I fell off a horse once and never got on one again. Then, after she died, I just… didn’t want to. It was too painful. I didn’t want to ride without her. She liked her music, which is where I got my love of it from. That’s why I bring her my CDs and tapes, because I like to think that she’d like to listen to it.”

“I’m sure she does,” said Louisa. Now, Lisa was finally crying.

“I really miss her,” said Lisa, hugging her girlfriend.

“I know,” Louisa whispered, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. She looked down at the grave, knowing that the headstone spoke the truth.

“Juliette Peterson. Mother. Wife. Taken too soon. Will be loved and missed forever”

“I always knew you were an angel, but I never thought they’d call you home”

Louisa cried with her girlfriend, clutching tight to her. This was the woman who had given her the love of her life. She owed Juliette so much, but she could never thank her in person. She’d love to call forth Juliette’s ghost and talk to her that way, but it just wasn’t safe to do that. And Lisa had forbidden it.

“I love you, mum,” Lisa sobbed, picking up the photograph and kissing it. Louisa watched her, wishing that she could do more to help. But maybe it was better this way. All she could do was wrap her arms around her girlfriend and try to comfort her. Hopefully, that would be enough.


End file.
